The Forgotten
by Streameh
Summary: What really happened to Frostfur, Speckletail, Shadepelt, and Loudbelly? And what about Cody, Smudge, Princess, Ravenpaw, and Barley? Their tale after the clans left the forest.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey!!! I know it has been over a year since I updated my other story… but that's kinda on hold right now cuz I don't know where exactly I want to go with it. Sooo… instead I have this story for you. I started writing it right after ****Dawn****, then kinda forgot about it.**

**It is, as you probably already know, about Frostfur, Speckletail, Shadepelt, and Loudbelly when they stayed behind. You'll also see Cody, Princess, Smudge, Ravenpaw, and Barley again.**

**I know there are a couple stories about this out there already. But mine's different.**

**Because they live.**

**Do I have you hooked yet? So, without further ado, let's get on with the story!!**

OoOoOoO

Four pairs of tear-filled eyes followed the progress of the Clans as they disappeared across the river and out of view. Four sighs were released at the same moment. The motionless body of the long-haired light brown RiverClan medicine cat was surrounded by four elderly cats, all mourning the loss of him, even though two of them were from ThunderClan. These cats had decided that they were too old and their paws too weary to travel unknown distances to their new home. So instead they were sitting a silent vigil for Mudfur.

A beautiful white queen broke the silence. "Speckletail and I are, um, going to, er, hunt," she decided, motioning to a pale tabby she-cat. The old queen grumbled and complained, but followed her Clanmate out.

A dark gray she-cat looked up gratefully at the ThunderClan elders. "Thank you, Frostfur. Be careful, though."

"We will be, Shadepelt. Don't worry. I hope our hunting skills are still sharp," Frostfur purred.

Once outside, the clump of reeds, Speckletail looked impatiently at Frostfur. "What was that for? We just had some fresh-kill!" Frostfur looked at the old she-cat.

"They need time alone to grieve for Mudfur. And besides, it's not like we've been full in a long time. Let's see if we can manage to catch something." The white she-cat crept off while Speckletail reluctantly followed.

xxxxxx

The four elders awoke to the roar of Twoleg monsters. Loudbelly, the dark brown RiverClan tom, hesitantly poked his head out of the shelter of reeds to make sure everything was safe.

"None of those monsters out here yet. Well, we have to bury Mudfur." Loudbelly reassured the she-cats. The sun was just beginning to rise over the mountains far in the distance. For a moment all four cats stared in the direction of WindClan territory, where the cats had headed the day before.

Loudbelly broke the silence. "Well, no use standing around here all day. Speckletail can help me bury Mudfur. Shadepelt, see if you and Frostfur can catch anything." Shadepelt and Frostfur found a spot by the river as Loudbelly and Speckletail went off.

"I'll go see if I can catch anything at Sunningrocks," Frostfur offered. The white she-cat hopped across the stepping stones and into a territory she knew well. After catching only a mouse, Frostfur started to head back to the RiverClan camp when she heard a cat call her name. Fur bristling and claws unsheathed, Frostfur turned around. Letting out a yowl of surprise, she rushed forward to meet the young tabby she-cat.

"Cody! Why are you coming back? And who have brought with you?" A light brown tabby she-cat and a black and white tom had appeared next to Cody. Cody's icy blue eyes lit up when she saw Frostfur.

"Frostfur!" She exclaimed. "These two are Princess, Firestar's sister, and Smudge. They wanted to see Firestar one last time." Frostfur looked down at her paws, her eyes brimming with tears.

"They've already left. Speckletail and two RiverClan elders are also staying behind. We felt we were too old to make the journey to our new home."

The light brown tabby she-cat, Princess, meowed quietly, "That's not all. All of us," she motioned to her companions, "had dreams from StarClan. A cat, her name was Bluestar, told us to 'meet with four cats who have yet to make the Great Journey.' Would that be you and your companions? Who is Bluestar, and what does she mean?"

Frostfur looked up, her eyes sparkling in admiration. "To receive a dream from StarClan is a great honor. You have been chosen for some reason. Bluestar was ThunderClan leader before Firestar. She…. she was a noble cat, a great friend, and an excellent leader. She often comes to cats in dreams."

Frostfur paused and sniffed the air. "Kit-scent. You shouldn't be away from your kits for so long."

Princess nodded in agreement. "You're right. I should be going. I'm wondering, though… were you a queen?"

Frostfur's eyes took on a distant look, as if remembering the past. "I bore many litters of kits when I was younger."

Princess looked thoughtful. "I have an idea. What if you and your companions come to my garden tomorrow morning? You can meet my kits, and I can get you some food and fresh water, if you'd like. And," the kittypet's eyes twinkled, "I even have some catnip."

Frostfur's lip curled at the thought of kittypet food, but it was no secret that they were starving. But she purred at the though of some catnip. Maybe it would make her feel young again….

"That would be nice. Well, I guess I should get going; Shadepelt's waiting for me. See you tomorrow!"

Cody, Princess, and Smudge mewed their goodbyes. Frostfur bounded back towards Sunningrocks, her step noticeably lighter.

xxxxxx

Frostfur found Shadepelt basking in the sun by the river's edge, her dark gray fur soaking up the sun. The RiverClan elder jumped up and grabbed the fish she had caught when she saw Frostfur leaping across the stepping stones with the energy of an apprentice.

Shadepelt followed the white queen to the camp, wondering what in StarClan had happened.

xxxxxx

"…. and that is why I'm so happy!" Frostfur had just explained the events of the morning to the other elders.

Speckletail let out a hiss. "Kittypet food! Yuck! I won't eat it unless StarClan themselves force it down my throat!" Then the fierce tabby's eyes began to soften. "But I can't resist kits, kittypet or otherwise. It's been so long since Snowkit…. since…." The old queen faltered, her amber eyes welling up with tears.

Frostfur pressed her white fur against Speckletail's tabby pelt as comfortingly as she could. She remembered what had happened to Snowkit as clearly as if it had been yesterday. Speckletail's last kit had been white-furred with blue eyes, and unfortunately had been deaf, like many kits that color. Frostfur knew she was lucky that she herself still had good hearing. Poor Snowkit had gotten snatched up by a hawk, and was never found. Speckletail had never fully gotten over it, and Frostfur, having been a mother herself, knew she probably never would.

Speckletail was a fierce cat, a fighter until the very end. She did, however, have a soft spot for kits. She might never give in to eating kittypet food, but she couldn't resist visiting kits.

Shadepelt and Loudbelly didn't say anything. They had no complaints, and agreed to visit the kittypets in the morning.

OoOoOoO

**So, that's the first chapter!! How'd you like it?? I'm not done the second chapter yet, so I've got to finish it and type it up, StarClan knows how long that could take.**

**Anyway, please review, and be honest!! Did you like it, or did you not :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**The second chapter!!!! Yay!! **

**A humongous thank you to everyone who reviewed!! And that would be…..**

**Olivia-Della-Robbia**

**Frostpaw**

**Oakstone202**

**Dragon-Star155**

**Frostfoot**

**PearlaH.Sweden**

**Lionsong (my bestest friend in the whole wide world!!)**

**Snowcloud-Warrior-RiverClan**

**CircularCubes**

**brightheart7**

**Softfrost**

**Ummmm….. and that would be all. Eleven reviews?? I guess that's a fair amount, but I want more!! Especially since I had 71 hits. So that means that for like every 6 people who saw the story, only 1 person reviewed. And NOTHING makes me madder than a person who reads but doesn't review….. so, anyway. Reviews make my feel good, so just do it!! Lol. **

**So, read it, enjoy it, and then review it. PLEASE!!!**

**OoOoOoO**

The rest of the day was spent sharing tongues and relaxing. The four elders sat in a respectful silence as night began to fall, staring at the swath of stars that made up Silverpelt.

It was Shadepelt who broke the silence. "I wonder how long it will be before StarClan leaves us, too."

Loudbelly shook his head. He gave Shadepelt's ear a reassuring lick. "Don't think like that. StarClan will never leave us. As long as we believe in them, they will always be in our hearts."

Shadepelt snuggled closer to the brown tom and pressed her muzzle into his thick fur. "I know. But it just feels so empty, so lonely, already." She sighed. Loudbelly wrapped his tail around her protectively.

Speckletail's eyes shone with amusement. "Frostfur and I are, uh, going to sleep now," she purred. The two ThunderClan she-cats padded away, leaving the two lovebirds to stare at the sky for a few for moments.

xxxxxx

Nine cats were racing through the forest. However, it was like each was surrounded by a wall, for even though they were within inches of each other, it was as if they did not realize they were not alone.

Suddenly, all nine cats came to a halt. A silvery shape emerged from the undergrowth. It was a she-cat, with shining blue eyes and glowing fur. She moved with a commanding grace, her head held high and her step long and agile. When she spoke her voice was soft and soothing.

"I have a message for you. It is very important, you must listen carefully.

_Every bird must leave its nest_

_And fly to those who are its kin_

_But also stay with those it trusts the most"_

"I wish you luck…" she faded from sight, leaving in her place three feathers. One was white with gray flecks, another light brown, and the third tortoiseshell in color.

xxxxxx

Back in the old RiverClan camp, four heads shot up at the exact same instant. In Twolegplace three sleepy cats blinked open their eyes, confused. And in a barn by the edge of WindClan territory two felines looked at each other in shock and bewilderment.

xxxxxx

The four elders stared at each other in astonishment. No one said anything for a moment that seemed to last a thousand moons. Finally they all began to talk at once.

"A dream from StarClan, can you believe it? _Us_, having a dream from StarClan!" Shadepelt meowed in excitement.

Speckletail murmured in amazement, "A prophecy!! Oh StarClan, there is a prophecy involving _us_!"

"I saw Bluestar! I saw her, I really did! And jeez, did she look _good_!" Frostfur purred loudly.

Loudbelly exclaimed, "The prophecy compared us to _birds_! I _eat_ birds!"

Everyone looked at Loudbelly. "What?" He meowed innocently. The others just shook their heads.

It was Speckletail who logically asked, "What in StarClan does that prophecy mean?!" They all looked at one another, but no one had a clue as to what Bluestar's mysterious prophecy could mean.

"Well, we might as well just go back to sleep. We can figure it out in the morning." Shadepelt mewed reasonably.

xxxxxx

An aging black and white tom looked questioningly at his companion, a sleek black tom. "That… that was Bluestar! Was that… a dream from StarClan?"

"I am pretty positive that it was, Barley. And to have Bluestar herself give us a prophecy… that means it's pretty important." The all-black tom answered his friend.

"Ravenpaw, I think we should go meet with the cats who stayed behind. They might know something more." The cat named Barley told Ravenpaw.

Ravenpaw nodded in agreement. "Tomorrow morning, then. They are staying in the old RiverClan camp. I've been there a few times with Firestar. I should be able to find it." Barley dipped his head and curled up to go back to sleep.

xxxxxx

"Smudge, wake up!" Princess poked the black and white tom. "He is such a heavy sleeper!" She murmured to her companion, Cody.

Smudge lifted his head and let out a huge yawn. "What was that for? I was just dreaming of a nice, big bowl of food…"

Cody looked at him in surprise. "Didn't you get a dream, too?"

"Well, yeah, but I was going to worry about it in the morning. No use interrupting a good night's sleep." He shrugged. "What's the big deal?"

Cody purred softly. "You're such a furball. A fat one at that, always dreaming of food and such."

Smudge looked offended. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"It was supposed to be a joke. So, we'll talk about the dream in the morning? Maybe the cats from the Clans will know something." Cody's eyes softened as she stared at the tom. She almost reached forward to lick his ear, but pulled back at the last moment.

Princess watched the pair with narrowed eyes. Was that a look of affection she saw in Cody's gaze? Were they really just friends, or was Cody falling for the black and white tom, perhaps?

xxxxxx

Morning came fast for the cats. The sun was already in the sky by the time the four elders awoke.

"Let's catch a bite to eat before we go to Twoleg place," Speckletail suggested. The others nodded in agreement.

About half an hour later the cats were gathered back together, munching on the measly bits of prey they had caught. A rustling in the reeds caused them all to jump up, alert and ready to act. A black tom slipped out, followed by a black and white cat.

Frostfur was stunned. "Ravenpaw! Whatever are you doing here? And you're… Barley, right?" Barley nodded. Ravenpaw rushed forward, burying his muzzle in her white fur.

"Oh, Frostfur! I though I might never see you again!" Frostfur and Ravenpaw had always shared a close bond, even though she was not his mother. She had nursed the black tom when he was a kit, after his mother had died, and therefore felt the closeness to him as she felt to all her other kits.

"We had a dream from StarClan, both Barley and I. We thought you might know something about it."

It was Speckletail who spoke. "It's good to see you, Ravenpaw. And you, too, Barley. And yes, we all had dreams from StarClan. Bluestar appeared, and gave us the prophecy. Was that the same as yours?"

Barley nodded. "Exactly."

"We were going to Twolegplace to meet with Cody, Princess, and Smudge. Would you like to come with us? We have a feeling they are involved in this, too."

Ravenpaw and Barley nodded. The four elders and two loners then headed off to Twolegplace, Frostfur leading the way.

xxxxxx

Cody saw them first. "You came!" She exclaimed. "Here, there's a hole under the fence you can crawl through." The cats crawled under and met the kittypets on the other side.

Princess immediately meowed, "Ok, kits, you can come out now." Three bundles of fur tumbled out of the Twoleg nest. They stopped quickly when they saw the strange cats in the garden, but a light brown tom-kit padded cautiously up to the newcomers, followed by a tortoiseshell she-kit. The third kit, a white she-kit with gray flecks, followed more slowly, her shy personality getting the best of her.

Frostfur let out a loud purr. "Oh, they're beautiful! What are their names?"

"The little tom is Owl, the tortoiseshell is Robin, and the timid one is Dove."

The one called Robin nudged Speckletail. "Who are you?" She asked, quite innocently.

Speckletail purred in amusement. "My name's Speckletail, the white cat is Frostfur, the gray one is Shadepelt, and Loudbelly is the brown tom. We lived in the forest, but our Clanmates just left, and we were too old to go."

Owl, the light brown tabby tom, looked at the cats in awe. "You were wildcats?! Can I see your fangs?" Loudbelly padded up to the tom-kit, and curled up his lip to reveal his pearly-whites.

"Those are for eating little kits like you!" The almost all-white kit, Dove, squeaked in terror and ran to hide behind her mother.

Owl stood up to face Loudbelly. "I'm not afraid of you!" He leapt on the big tom, bowling him over. Loudbelly purred and watched as the other kits batted at his tail as it swished back and forth.

"You'd make a great warrior, little tom." Owl puffed his chest out in pride.

"Anyway," Frostfur meowed, "Did you guys have a dream from Bluestar, too? With the prophecy?" The kittypets nodded.

"Kits, settle down now. We have to discuss something _very important_. Then we can play with the new cats," Princess calmed her kits down. Owl stayed beside Loudbelly, looking up at the tom in respect. Robin sat down next to Speckletail, and Dove ventured over to Frostfur, you looked at her kindly, so she settled down next to the white queen.

"Do you have any idea of what it might mean?" Cody asked.

Shadepelt shook her head. "No, but it obviously involves all of us."

"I think maybe we should take a visit to Highstones," Frostfur meowed thoughtfully. When the kittypets looked confused, the Clan cats quickly filled them in on what Highstones was. They then agreed.

"So, that topic is done. Why don't you guys tell us about your kits?" Princess suggested.

"That's a great idea!" Frostfur mewed. "Well…. My first litter had Brackenfur and Cinderpelt in it. Brackenfur is a warrior, but Cinderpelt… she was in an accident that damaged her leg and prevented her from becoming a warrior. So she is now ThunderClan's medicine cat. Thornclaw and Brightheart were in my second litter. Thornclaw is a warrior like Brackenfur. Brightheart was…. attacked by a dog. But she is a warrior now, and your son, Cloudtail, is her mate. They have a daughter, Whitepaw."

"I met Brightheart, but her name was… Lostface when I did. And a kit? That's awesome!" Princess meowed in response.

It was Speckletail's turn. "My last kit was called Snowkit. He was all white, with blue eyes and…. he was deaf. He was taken away by a hawk one day, and we never saw him again…." Princess gasped.

"Oh, you poor soul! I would be mortified if something happened to my kits…." She paused. "Would you guys like something to eat? And there is some catnip under that bush over there." After exchanging a glance, the starving elders followed Princess into the Twoleg nest.

"My housefolk are out today, so no need to be worried. Here's the food. The wet stuff is better than the dry, just to let you know." Frostfur took a hesitant bite of the dry stuff. She chewed and swallowed.

"It's a little blah, but not terrible." After trying the wet food, she exclaimed, "That stuff is not _too_ bad. Try it." The others took tentative tastes, eventually coming to the same conclusion. Even though she knew Speckletail would never admit it, Frostfur figured the tabby queen found kittypet food to be decent. But it didn't compare to fresh-kill, that's for sure!

The sun was beginning to set as the cats prepared to go home. They had spent the rest of the afternoon sharing tongues and playing with the kits.

As they got ready to depart, Princess called out to them, "Wait! The Twolegs won't be home for a few days. Why don't you stay here for the night? That way you can have some more food in the morning, and you'll be safe from the monsters."

"Sure, why not? I think the journey back to the camp would have done me in, anyway. I'm not as young as I used to be," Speckletail admitted sadly. The others purred softly in understanding.

"We'll stay here, too. We don't want to make the long trip we have in the dark, either," Barley meowed, Ravenpaw nodding his head in agreement.

"I'll go collect some moss for bedding, if you'd like," Ravenpaw offered.

"I'll come with you," Cody mewed quickly. Princess narrowed her eyes. She had thought that Cody liked Smudge, but now it seemed she had turned her attention on Ravenpaw. Smudge was watching this procession with anger burning in his eyes.

_So Smudge likes Cody_, Princess thought to herself, _this could be interesting._

xxxxxx

That night, as silence closed in on the cats in Princess' garden, they began to curl up to go to sleep. Loudbelly and Shadepelt settled down together, while Speckletail and Frostfur also stayed nearby. Cody laid down next go Smudge, whose green eyes glowed in surprise. Princess' kits snuggled next to her warm belly. Ravenpaw and Barley were the last to fall into the black void of sleep.

Just then a yowl, loud and thoroughly terrifying, woke all the cats up. Ravenpaw and Barley jumped to their paws, the other cats doing the same.

"What in StarClan's name was that?" Shadepelt whispered. No one moved until Owl, his fur puffed up and eyes wild, jumped forward.

"Let me at 'em! I'll show 'em what I'm made of!" The tiny kit scrambled out the hole under the fence before anyone could catch him. As if in shock, nobody said a thing until Princess let out an ear-splitting howl.

"My kit! He's going to get himself killed!" She wailed. Ravenpaw and Barley dashed out, only to stop short.

"Owl! No, come back!!"

**OoOoOoO**

**Mwahahaha!!! So, what do you think 'it' is???**

**And what do you think of the Ravenpaw-Cody-Smudge love triangle?? Who will win her heart? Tell me what you think!!**

**And give me suggestions for a loner name. It will be a she-cat, and a name you don't mind me using. Descriptions are optional. She will play a very important role.**

**And……**

**Ravenpaw's warrior name!! He won't get it for a while, but I'll start taking suggestions now. Here are some I like:**

**Ravenpelt**

**Ravenclaw**

**Ravenflight**

**Ravenwing**

**Give me your suggestions!! Please :D**

**And what do you think the prophecy means????**

**Thanks for reading, now PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I beg of you…… :)**


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